German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the impact of COVID-19 in the country had reached a “critical” level as the number of infections reached a record high this week.
“We are in a situation that I would like to describe as critical,” Lauterbach told the weekly press conference on the coronavirus in Berlin on Friday. “Again, we have very high incidence rates. […] I keep reading that the Omicron variant is a milder variant, but that only applies to a limited extent. “
Despite planning a further easing of coronavirus rules, Germany recorded a high number of coronavirus infections within 24 hours on Thursday, and a nearly as high, 252,836 cases on Friday.
“The situation is objectively worse than the mood of the public,” said the health minister.
He said some people in Germany, including politicians, believed that the pandemic was over and that it was a “crisis mistake”.
“We can not be satisfied with a situation in which 250 people die every day and the prospect is that in a few weeks more people will die,” he said.
Germany to lift most restrictions on coronavirus on March 20 after a period of relaxation. Beyond that, state governments will be able to demand measures such as mask use, testing and other measures at the virus’ hotspots at their discretion.
Masks will remain mandatory on trains and long-haul flights.
Here are the latest developments in coronavirus from around the world:
Africa
The government inside Kenya announced on Friday that it would abolish mask use in the public to ease COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place for two years.
“Mandatory use of face masks in open public spaces has now been lifted,” Health Minister Mutahi Kagoue said in a statement on Friday.
It comes as COVID infection rates in Kenya had dropped to one percent or less last month, the minister explained.
Double-vaccinated individuals will also be allowed at sporting events, and all interpersonal worship services can continue at full capacity as long as attendees are fully perforated, he said.
But he added: “This does not mean, however, that we are already completely out of the forest.”
Kague encouraged the continued use of masks indoors and social distance in public places.
Asia
China ordered the lock-up of the northeastern city of Changchun following a new rise in local COVID-19 cases attributed to the omicron variant.
Mainland China reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 infections, spreading to dozens of cities, the highest daily number in two years, according to the latest official daily release released on Friday.
Residents of the city of 9 million have to stay home, with one family member allowed to leave home to buy food and other necessities every two days.
All residents also have to undergo three rounds of mass testing, while non-core businesses have closed and transport links have been suspended.
In Hong Kong, leader Carrie Lam called for more vaccinations as growing infections sound the alarm. Lam said Friday that the city’s COVID-19 vaccination program will focus on the elderly and children as authorities fight to curb rising infections and death rates.
Health officials reported 29,381 new infections and 196 deaths on Friday. By early 2020, Hong Kong had recorded nearly 650,000 COVID-19 infections and about 3,500 deaths, most of them in the last two weeks.
A World Health Organization (WHO) official on Friday urged Philippines to remain vigilant against Covid-19, warning that another increase was “inevitable”.
As cases continue to fall to less than 1,000 a day, authorities in the Philippines have been trying to ease restrictions. As of the beginning of the month, 40 areas in the country, including the capital, had remained at Level 1 of a five-tier warning system.
This meant that companies were allowed to operate at full capacity, but face masks and social distance were still required.
Rajendra Prasav Yadav, acting WHO spokeswoman for the country, said it was “too early to declare victory against the virus”.
“When we start lowering our guards and masks, this is a disaster because we see the vaccination rate slowing down significantly in
“In the last few days,” he said in a television interview, “we must be actively vigilant, vigilant and prepare for the next wave, which I think is inevitable.”
Of America
The United States extends the requirement to use the mask on planes and public transport for another month, federal officials said.
He announced the decision, while discussing the steps that could lead to the complete lifting of the rule.
The order to use the mask was scheduled to expire on March 18, but has now been extended until April 18, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) said.
More …
fh / msh (Reuters, AP, DPA, AFP)
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